>>weomtohkor "newsline." fighting in syria between governme and opposion foes continues in some parts of the cease-fire prosed by the united nations and the arab league. thcee-reooefct on friday, which marks the beginning of the muslim holiday of eid al adha. anti-government activists in the central city of homs say the li, kiinfo pplavfiti w ao poed t nte reports from daraa province in

troops opened fire to disperse attempts by the rebels to attack or expand areas under their control. in northern afghanistan, a suicide bomber targeted a mosque as people celebrated the eid al adhahoda th eloonilled at least 36 people and wounded many others. poceay a m detonated the explosives friday outside a mos income maymana.tnsesathatck w wearing a lice unifo. no one has claimed responsibility. afghan security forces are trying to stem the violence. they're looking to take control with the withdrawal of troops by the end of 2014. a new opinion pl sges mitt romney has topped among 50%

with voters. it's the first time he hit that pollsters for abc news and "the washington post" surveyed about 1,400 likely voters from sunday through wednesday. 50% of respondents said they wod teor romney, 47% for present barack obama. the pollsters asked who would better manage the economy. 52% said romney. 43sa oma the election is decided by the number of electoral votes allotted to each state. there are 538 votes in t electoral college. abc news estimates obama is likely to win 217 of them, romney 191. u.s. voters seem buried under massive amounts of information and claims made by the presidential candidates. many vers can't ll whether the information is accurate or even true. nhk world's susumu kojima reports.

>> in the last four years you cut permits and licenses on federal land and federal waters in half. >> not true, governor romney. >> so how much did you cut them? >> not true. >> reporter: in the presidential debates and tv ads, both candidates have bolstered their arguments with a lot of facts. often one candidate refutes the other's information. many voters don't know who or what to believe. >> it's hard to tell a lot of times whether what they're saying is actually true. >> i think it's important in any democracy to have some way to objectively check the claims that politicians sometimes make. >> reporter: now the public is getting help from fact checkers. these experts and journalists check the accuracy of the candidates' facts and make the findings public. >> over the last 30 months, we have seen 5 million jobs in the private sector created.

>> obama's figure is nearly a half a million jobs short according to current bureau of labor statistics figures. >> the president said he'd cut the deficit in half. unfortunately, he doubled it. trillion-dollar deficits for the last four years. >> not true. the annual deficit was already running at $1.2 trillion when obama took office. >> reporter: how is fact checking actually done? on the last presidential debate, we watched one of the oldest fact-checking groups do their job. they are called factcheck.org, established by the university of pennsylvania. four members went to work. eugene kiely used to be a newspaper reporter. he covered congress and government for more than 20 years. he is managing this evening's fact checking.

been as important or central in this campaign as the economy has been up until recently, there's some material here that we're going to have to research for first time. >> reporter: as soon as the debate begins, kiely starts to type what both candidates say. he comes across figures or comments that need checking. next, he e-mails colleagues, telling them what to research. then they check the accuracy of the comments. they use official sources like those of the congressional research for candidates' past remarks. and when kiely thinks it's necessary to release the results, the group sends out tweets. the erat indicates romney's

statements contradict what he said in the past. they also verify whether each candidate calls his contestant's remarks accurately. >> we are here to be an advocate for voters. and if they have any -- if they are confused or have questions, hopefully we'll be able to answer them for them. so that's why it's important, because there needs to be a counterspin to the spin that they're getting from politicians. >> reporter: what the candidate says, how he says it, and how he reacts to his opponent it is said these are criteria that voters in the u.s. presidential elections use to make their choice. but in this election, there's another criteria -- the accuracy or truth of a candidate's claims. susumu kojima, nhk world, washington. president obama has yet another figure to throw at

voters as he campaigns across the country. the u.s. economy is picking up according to the latest gdp data. commerce department analysts say it grew at an annualized pace of 2% in the third quarter of this year. the latest numbers for the july-to-september period are slightly better than market expectations. the growth rate was 1.3% in the previous quarter. personal consumption grew 2%, a rise from 1.5% growth in the second quarter. people's spending accounts for about 70% of u.s. economic activity. people who use microsoft are getting in touch with the company's latest product. windows 8 is now available. it's the biggest upgrade since 1995. the operating system is designed with both pcs and tablets in mind, and it's offering computer manufacturers a boost as they try to reboot interest in their products. nhk world's daisuke azuma reports. >> reporter: at the stroke of

midnight, windows 8 went on sale. >> translator: it beats my expectations. it changed my belief of what a pc can do, and i'm so excited. >> reporter: when windows 8 is turned on, the tap screen displays with colorful titles. users can also switch the program by touching the screen. the new operating system maintains operational integrity with other devices, including pcs, smartphones and tablets. the pc market that microsoft has dominated for so long has now become standard. the firm is facing a crisis as it attempts to make up for lost time in expanding the tablet market.

microsoft aims to make a comeback with the release of windows 8. microsoft made an unusual move. it held a giant press conference with 13 pc makers. pc makers are releasing a host of new products for the windows 8 launch. one such company is toshiba. many business people seek the functions of a laptop and tablet. this led toshiba to develop the product. at first glance, it looks like a conventional pc. but when the monitor is folded over, it becomes completely flat and information can be shared

easily with another person facing the user. sliding the monitor changes the product into a tablet. >> translator: we are proud of the fact that we do not compromise on any features of the tablet or laptop. >> reporter: sony is releasing a product. its goal is to change the idea of what a pc is. it's operated by several people at the same time, using a 20-inch touchscreen. sony conceived this pc to enhance communication. just by lightly pressing the screen, the device may be used lying flat because it is easy to carry around. >> translator: sony plans a big expansion in entertainment and will polish and provide new products. the launch of windows 8 has laid down an environment that will make it easy for sony to promote its uniqueness.

>> reporter: an expert sees the release of windows 8 as an opportunity to change the form of pcs and tablets. >> there might be a chance for the business people wanting to use files back and forth on the computer on the business side. that might pick up, and then that kind of brings up the momentum of the using windows 8. >> reporter: the launch of windows 8 marks the start of an era in which pcs, tablets and smartphones are becoming a hit. which of the operating system providers will win the race? apple, google, or microsoft? with pc makers also entering the market, competition is certain to head up. daisuke azuma, nhk world, tokyo.

ethnic violence between buddhists and minority muslims is escalating in western myanmar. now the conflict is seen as potential threat to ongoing democratization in the country. patchari raksawong at our bureau in bangkok has the details. the confirmed death toll from the conflict has passed 100. the fighting has become a major concern for president thein sein's government, which is striving to bring stability to myanmar. the conflict is centered in the west of the country, where rohingya muslims are the minority. the government has declared a state of emergency, saying the violence has been steadily intensifying since the 21st of this month with the death toll rising to 112 and threatening to go even higher. in one incident, police lost control over a crowd and opened fire, leading to some casualties. the roots of the clash go back to may this year when a buddhist

woman was allegedly raped by a muslim group. discrimination against rohingya muslims in the area is strong and appears to be a major factor behind the continuing violence. the conflict is a major obstacle to the country's efforts towards democratization and national reconciliation. the decades mindanao island in the southern philippines has been a hotbed of conflict between muslim separatists and the central government. there are signs of a possible resolution after the two sides signed an agreement earlier this month, but many challenges remain. nhk world reports from mindanao. >> reporter: muslim residents in the central city are welcoming the peace agreement which sets out plans to establish an autonomous government by 2016. they're displaying green as a symbol of a muslim separatist movement.

>> translator: this is very good. better relations will help contain the conflict. >> reporter: this area was devastated by massive fighting four years ago. today more than 10,000 people remain displaced by the conflict. most of the families that have resettled and rebuilt their lives here were displaced by bombs falling on their roofs about three kilometers away from here. this woman is a muslim who fled her village about three kilometers away. now she earns her living selling palm leaves which are used to make roofs. she earns about $1 a day, which is one-fourth of what she made in her village. with six children, she is barely able to make ends meet. so she has high hopes for the new agreement.

>> translator: i can't go back to my village yet because there are still attacks from time to time. i hope i can go home soon. >> reporter: in the central town of phuket, the muslim majority and christian minority have long been in opposition. christians have defended themselves by building barriers and shelters. >> translator: we knew that we couldn't just give in to fear and despair. >> reporter: the japanese government joined the international cease-fire group in 2006. now yuki ochii is one of the staff members. he was dispatched by the japanese international cooperation agency. he helped re-establish an elementary school which was devastated by the conflict.

now children of christian and muslim families study together, bringing their parents into contact. >> translator: residents don't care who's muslim and who's christian anymore. they can freely visit each other. children must be happy now that they can go to school together. >> translator: we need to provide more specific support to aid the establishment of the autonomous government. i think japan should play a leading role. >> reporter: many people express doubts about the feasibility of disarmament, and some muslims in mindanao are still strongly opposed to the peace agreement. the situation is still volatile, and the international community

will need to continue its involvement to bring stability to the region. charmaine deogracias, nhk world, mindanao. on friday, muslims worldwide started one of their most significant religious celebrations, eid al adha. this year, the holiday accompanies a wish for peace in the philippines. in the capital manila, some 1,000 muslims joined in mass prayers to mark the beginning of the four-day celebration. in addition to religious observation, people gathered to express optimism about the new peace agreement between the central government and muslim residents of mindanao island. >> translator: there is a lot of hope. an agreement has long been awaited, and it's gaining some clarity, so muslims are continuing to pray successful negotiations between the government and muslims in mindanao.

>> the peace deal has given a glimpse of a better future to the muslim community in this catholic-dominated nation. only 5% of the population of the philippines is muslim. >> translator: i hope the agreement will end discrimination and bring equality because usually the rights of muslims are brushed aside. >> and that's going to wrap up our bulletin for today. i'm patchari raksawong in bangkok. some chinese parents are suffering from the side effects of the one-child policy. the government imposed it to curb the rapid growth of its 1.3 billion people. but if that one child should die, the parents are left in a dire situation and they may never recover. nhk world's michitaka yamaka

reports. >> reporter: a married couple. nine years ago, their only child suffered a heart high school and died. the death sent his father into depression. then six months later, he suffered a stroke. now he can't move the right half of his body. his doctor says the stress had been too much. five years later, he suffered another blow. iz employ his employer fired him. but the misery doesn't stop there. may's wife has cancer. she works at a textile factory. however, the couple can't afford medicine.

>> translator: i'm so worried. i have no idea how to make ends meet in years to come. if our son were alive, he would be supporting us. >> reporter: it's a tradition in china for children to support aging parents. so people who have lost their only child suffer a double blow. they grieve the loss, and they worry who will take care of them when they get old. three years ago, some volunteers organized to help those people. about 300 residents around the province belong to it. all have lost their only child. this woman leads the group. her son died from a stroke while attending university ten years ago.

lee says she was able to overcome her grief by telling her story to parents who suffered a similar loss. the experience led her to start this activity. >> translator: i thought if people in the same situation get together and join hands, things around they would woum would im. >> reporter: li and her colleagues give support over the phone on weekends. now that their only child is dead, some callers have lost the will to live. a few even talk about killing themselves. li could tell the caller was suffering from deep depression and decided to visit her.

she has lost her daughter and husband. now she lives on her own. >> translator: what should i do? even if i die here, no one would notice. it's so painful. >> reporter: li says that there is a limit to what the volunteers can do for these people. >> translator: i urge the government to understand what people who have lost their only child are facing. we've obeyed the government's one-child policy, so there is an urgent need for the adopt measures to support people like us. >> reporter: now three decades after introducing the one-child policy, some local officials are conducting an experiment.

they are yielding the rule to allow some parents to have more than one child. michitaka yamaka, nhk world, beijing. >> official statistics show about 1 million chinese families have lost their only child by the end of last year. the beijing municipal government supports such families with a monthly allowance. shanghai authorities provide onetime sympathy money, but the central government has yet to take any concrete steps to help the grieving parents. a hurricane is forcing its way past the bahamas and moving north. meteorologist robert speta is here with the details. robert? well, yes, we are still watching sandy here, and it's continuing to cruise off here towards the north. much of the caribbean, you did get impacted on your thursday, now going through friday. conditions are improving, still some showers across portions of haiti, but for the most part the storm is rushing off there towards the north. now the east coast of the united states, you're going to be on tap for some heavy rainfall. already you're seeing some very rough surf along the east coast of florida, even off there

towards the carolinas. tropical storm watches and warnings are actually being posted here, but where the main threat's going to be is going into the early part of next week. take a look at this. as the storm continues to pull off here towards the north, it's going to be making a sharp turn towards the northwest, and that's where it's going to be impacting, around washington, d.c., even off towards new york city, you could even be seeing hurricane-strength winds. flooding from the heavy rainfall of the storm system but not just the exact track. this is a very wide wind field, so you're going to be seeing some gale-force winds across a very huge area, across much of the cities here in the northeast. not just that, but cold air coming in out of canada. look at winnipeg with a high of zero. that's going to filter down into the appalachian mountains going through the early part of next week. could be seeing some very serious accumulations of snowfall into these regions. on the other side of the ocean, though, we are seeing a frontal area moving across portions of italy. that is going to push over toward the balkans, but the same storm system actually brought some severe weather towards portugal yesterday.

i want to show you a video coming out of here in castelo branco, portugal, where a twister caused some serious damage to several factories. powerful winds also hit a parking lot damaging numerous vehicles here. it's estimated that the winds in the storm reached about 200 kilometers an hour, so very serious and dangerous storm here and roughed up a lot of cars. you can see as this continues to scroll off there towards the left, a car down there in the valley. so that's just showing how significant and dangerous this storm system was. now conditions are improving in portugal, but as we continue to track off there towards the east, conditions are stark in italy and towards the alpines. farther towards the north, though, we are watching cold air dive in, even seeing some gusty winds across western russia around moscow. you could be seeing some 90 kilometer per hour winds. temperatures are going to be dropping off. stockholm, minus 3, low in moscow minus 1, and towards berlin, you're dipping below the freezing mark.

let's look to the other side of the world, though, to the philippines as we continue to watch son-tinh. philippines, you are seeing some improving conditions, but as this continues to track off there west towards vietnam, you are next on the mark for the storm. saturday going into sunday morning expect a landfall. then it continues to push inland. all this moisture from son-tinh will push off towards the north. china going into the early part of next week, including hong kong on your tuesday, you could see some very significant rainfall totals. so definitely want to watch this storm system. flooding and even landslides will be high at risk across much of this region. farther towards the north, we are watching a low-pressure system moving across korea bringing showers for your saturday. saturday evening, western japan, you'll feel the effects of this. even some thunderstorm activity could be firing up across the west coast here. eventually into tokyo, showers are expected for you throughout your sunday. have the umbrella ready. get ready for some rather wet weather. temperatures shape up like this -- tokyo with a high of 19, beijing at 23, and ulaanbaatar,

you still have the cold spot on the map for saturday, minus 1 expected for your high. here's your extended forecast. ♪ we'll be back with more updates in 30 minutes. i'm gene otani in tokyo. q

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